Vista Hermosa Foundation

PASCO, WA EIN: 91-1491438

Vista Hermosa Foundation is a private foundation based in Pasco, Washington, established in 1995. The foundation is part of the Broetje Family Trust and was created to use proceeds from Broetje Orchards to serve children and underserved communities both domestically and internationally. The foundation operates Nueva Esperanza Leadership Academy (NELA), a private Christian school serving grades K-8, and provides grantmaking support to community-based organizations aligned with its values.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$174.9M

+6.1% YoY

Annual Giving

$6.1M

+7.1% YoY

Grant Count

-6.5% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$71K

+14.6% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Vista Hermosa Foundation reported a distributable amount of $8.5M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation identifies a core belief that community brokenness stems not simply from lack of access to education, healthcare, and job creation, but from deeper spiritual issues including lack of voice, purpose, meaningful relationships, agency, and connection.

Primary funding areas include:

Education
Human services
Community and economic development
Agriculture
Housing development
Youth development and youth organizing
International development and relations

The foundation places particular emphasis on supporting children, women, girls, economically disadvantaged individuals, and Hispanic/Latino communities.

Grantmaking

The foundation uses specific evaluation criteria when exploring new partnerships:

Grant Range

$54,000

How to Apply

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation funds in four primary international regions:

Mexico (with particular focus on rural communities in southern Mexico)
Haiti
Northern India
East Africa

Domestically, the foundation supports work in the tri-cities Washington region, with broader funding across multiple U.S. states including California, Pennsylvania, and various other locations.

Grant Distribution by State

Maryland $2.8M (22%)

California $2.3M (18%)

Pennsylvania $1.6M (13%)

District of Columbia $1.3M (10%)

Massachusetts $1.0M (8%)

New Hampshire $809K (6%)

Illinois $776K (6%)

Washington $492K (4%)

+12 more states

States

Alaska Arizona California Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Florida Illinois Massachusetts Maryland Michigan Minnesota New Hampshire New York Oregon Pennsylvania Texas Utah Virginia Washington

Cities

AkronAlexandriaAnchorageArlingtonAuroraAustinBaltimoreBishopBostonBoulderBreaBrooklynByron CenterCalabasasCambridgeChicagoCovinaCulver CityDallasDenver

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Assets & Revenue (2023):

Total assets: $164,817,667
Total revenues: $6,985,739
Total expenses: $8,573,044

Assets & Revenue (2024):

Total assets: $174,948,741
Total giving: $6,127,430

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$174,948,741	$164,817,667	$149,735,804
Revenue	$7,960,077	$6,985,739	$7,917,096
Expenses	$9,018,770	$8,573,044	$5,973,214
Qualifying Distributions	$8,264,229	$7,912,682	$5,284,406
Net Investment Income	$7,806,797	$6,083,921	$7,358,293
Distributable Amount	$8,475,737	$7,688,253	$7,830,524

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

250 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Catholic Relief Services ($317,595), Catholic Relief Services ($313,867), Catholic Relief Services ($310,873).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
FRONTIER BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SPOKANE, WA	SHELTON AWARD	$100,000
HEAD FIRST DEVELOPMENT SALT LAKE CITY, UT	CHRISTMAS DONATION	$100,000
AMEXTRA INC	SASA! COST EXTENSION GRANT	$20,600
BEYOND BORDERS INC NORRISTOWN, PA	HAITI PROJECT COST EXTENSION GRANT	$10,000
BEYOND BORDERS INC NORRISTOWN, PA	HAITI NEW PROJECT GRANT	$200,000
AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY PHILADELPHIA, PA	BSK COST EXTENSION GRANT	$10,000
CAPABLE MAMMOTH LAKES, CA	CAPABLE GRANT	$200,000
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES BALTIMORE, MD	CRS HAITI GRANT	$317,595
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES BALTIMORE, MD	PCMED GRANT	$310,873
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES BALTIMORE, MD	SURAKSHA GRANT	$313,867

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Board Members:

Suzanne Broetje, Chair
Cheryl Broetje, President
Ralph Broetje, Treasurer
Callie Sims, Vice President/Secretary
Roger Bairstow, Board Member
Shaun Broetje, Board Member
Tyler Broetje, Board Member
Omar Escalera, Board Member

Staff:

Susan H. Dobkins, Director
Darilyn D. Hackett, Principal
Joseph Akure, Program Officer
Shelly Broetje, Finance & Administration Manager
Lorna Seadore, Teacher

The foundation employs 6 staff members as of 2023.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
CHERYL BROETJE	PRESIDENT	2	—
RALPH BROETJE	TREASURER	2	—
SUZANNE BROETJE	CHAIR	5	—
ROGER BAIRSTOW	BOARD MEMBER	2	—
SHAUN BROETJE	BOARD MEMBER	2	—
TYLER BROETJE	BOARD MEMBER	40	$53,587
CALLIE SIMS	VICE PRESIDENT/SECRETARY	2	—
OMAR ESCALERA	BOARD MEMBER	2	—

Recent News & Activity

Recent developments and announcements

2024

The foundation maintains active grantmaking with recent grant activity documented in 2024 tax filings. The foundation is indicated as "possibly open to applications" based on its latest tax filings, with the "Preselected Only" checkbox not checked, suggesting the foundation may consider unsolicited proposals from organizations meeting its partner criteria.

Vista Outdoor Foundation Completes Inaugural Grant Cycle - National Ability

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Vista Hermosa Foundation fund?

The foundation's approach prioritizes holistic wellbeing rather than project-based outputs or services. The foundation seeks to invest in healing people's connections to God, self, others, and creation, believing that spiritual healing enables communities to lead themselves toward flourishing. The foundation identifies a core belief that community brokenness stems not simply from lack of access to education, healthcare, and job creation, but from deeper spiritual issues including lack of voice,…

How do I apply for a grant from Vista Hermosa Foundation?

**Grant Activity:** • Made 86 grants in the most recent tax year • Median grant size: $54,000 • Grant range: $138,000 to $318,000 • Total giving (2023): $6,127,430 **Partner Selection Criteria:** The foundation uses specific evaluation criteria when exploring new partnerships: • Geographic focus on four regions: Mexico, Haiti, Northern India, and East Africa, with priority given to community-based organizations in specific regions within each country • Support extends beyond funding to include …

Where does Vista Hermosa Foundation make grants?

The foundation funds in four primary international regions: • Mexico (with particular focus on rural communities in southern Mexico) • Haiti • Northern India • East Africa Domestically, the foundation supports work in the tri-cities Washington region, with broader funding across multiple U.S. states including California, Pennsylvania, and various other locations.

What size grants does Vista Hermosa Foundation award?

In 2024, Vista Hermosa Foundation awarded 86 grants totaling $6.1M — an average of about $71K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Vista Hermosa Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Vista Hermosa Foundation reported a distributable amount of $8.5M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.